Ventilating ceiling and resilient foam sealing means therefor



June 20. 1967 K. c. OLSON VENTILATING CEILING AND RESILIENT FOAM SEALINGMEANS THEREFOR Filed Jan. 15, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1 M 1 w ig n n m c le 0 I w 4 w 6 w n w w 4 Y/ 7 m e 0 mm w I 2 x y 1 6 June 20, 1967 K. c.OLSON 3,325,954

VENTILATING CEILING AND RESILIENT FOAM SEALING MEANS THEREFOR Filed Jan.13, 1964 2 Sheets-$heet 2 INVENTOR. Kern C. 025072 Attorney UnitedStates Patent Delaware Filed Jan. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 337,237 2 Claims.(Cl. 52303) The present invention relates generally to paneled ceilings,and in particular, to ventilating ceilings wherein air passes throughthe paneled ceiling from a plenum chamber above.

Such ceilings are commonly formed by assembling panels in a supportinggrid. The conventional panels are rectangular with square edge faces atleast at the exposed face of the panels. The panels are conventionallysupported on rectangular ledges formed by horizontal flanges whichextend from suspended vertical webs. Such webs are usually in the formof parallel runners in one direction which runners support intermediatecrossing webs between adjacent runners.

Some paneled ceilings ventilate only through the panels and others onlythrough the runners. The present invention is applicable to both typesas well as to non-ventilating ceilings, since it relates only to therelationship of the peripheral edges of the panels and the grid memberswhich support the panels.

Heretofore, it has been the practice to rest each panel on therectangular supporting ledge. Such practice forms an imperfect closureat the panel edges, such that there is a variable air-passage from oneside of the panel to the other. When the surface character of the panelis rough or irregular, as with sand-finished panels, the air passagesare resultingly larger. Such air passages are disadvantageous in twomajor respects, especially where there is an extensive open space abovethe panels.

In the case where there are two rooms separated by a partition up to thepaneled ceiling, both covered by the same open space, sound transmittedthrough the paneled ceiling from one room enters the open space and istransmitted from the open space through the paneled ceiling to theadjacent room. This transmission of sound is greatly reduced by thepresent invention.

When the space above the paneled ceiling is a pressurized plenumchamber, and the ceiling has ventilating openings, either in the panelsor in the grid, the air passages around the edges of panels permituncontrolled leakage of air and since its direction is over the face ofthe panel, there is eventually a gathering of dirt on the face of thepanel adjacent the supporting flanges. The transmission of sound fromroom to room via open space above a paneled ceiling is independent ofusing air pressure in such space for ventilaiton.

It is the object of the present invention to provide space-closingsealing means against the passage of air between the edges of ceilingpanels and the grid which supports them.

It is a particular object of the invention to improve the soundattenuation of paneled ceilings.

' It is a further object of the invention, in a room having aventilating paneled ceiling, to prevent leakage of air from apressurized plenum chamber around the edges of panels supported by asuspended grid.

Various other and ancillary objects and advantages of the invention willappear from the following description and explanation in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a portion of the exposed face of a ceiling showing aventilating panel and the related grid members which support it.

FIG. 2 is an inverted enlarged fragmentary cross-section on line 22 ofFIG. 1 showing one form of spaceclosing sealing means.

FIG. 3 is a modified form of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3 showing a ventilating gridmember and one form of space-closing seal.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are views similar to FIG. 2 with spaceclosing gaskets.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view partly in cross-section showing a preferredspace-closing seal carried only by a vertical web of a grid member.

FIG. 8 represents diagrammatically in cross-section two rooms withpaneled ceilings above which is a com mon open space capable oftransmitting through it sound from one room to the other.

The present invention permits numerous embodiments by addingspace-closing sealing means to the basic combination of panels and asupporting grid, such means being variously located at the jointsbetween the edges of panels and the grid, and preferably being carriedby the grid itself.

Although the drawings show ceilings which are ventilating ceilings,wherein the ventilation is either through the grid or through thepanels, it is to be understood that the sealing means has an acousticalfunction when used with a non-ventilating ceiling.

In FIG. 1 the numerals 10 and 12 designate the exposed faces of twoparallel inverted T-runners and the numerals 14 and 16 designate twocrossing members. The dotted lines represent the locations of thevertical webs from which extend opposite horizontal flanges forming arectangular ledge on which to lay a panel P. Panel P is shown as havingventilating openings 18, of which only a few are shown, these beingillustrative only of function and not of structure. The prime numbers10', 12', 14' and 16' represent the four flanges which support panel P.

In FIG. 2 the runner 12 has vertical web 20, suitably suspended by meansnot shown. It has a conventional form as a T of sheet metal deformed toprovide horizontal flanges 12' and 12".

.Panel P as shown may or may not be of sound-absorbing quantity, but hasopenings through it for ventilating. Originally, the back 22 of thepanel is covered in part at least with an air-impervious sheet 24,secured to the panel, preferably only at locations within a peripheralband around the four edges as illustrated by adhesive 26, which may bespots of adhesive or a continuous band of adhesive as shown.

The covering sheet 24 functions to block passage of air through thoseholes such as 28 which it covers. Sheet 24 is preferably unsecured tothe back 22', over the interior thereof where the holes 18 are located,so that portions of it may be removed, as by puncturing, tearing orcutting out, to uncover holes such as 30 for a predetermined degree ofopening through the panel.

Marginal portions of the sheet at the panel back serve to permit thesheet to extend beyond the panel at the four edges, a partion of suchextension being designated by numeral 32 which may, if desired, besecured by adhesive 34 to the edge-face 36, although this is notnecessary,

and further designated by the free terminal portion 38. As the panel Pis placed on its support the free portion 32-38 is automaticallypositioned as shown and is held there by air pressure, indicated byarrow 40, in the plenum chamber. When the portion 32 is not adhesivelysecured as shown, the sheet 24 must be sufficiently flexible to yield tothe air pressure for location as shown. When the portion 32 isadhesively secured to the edge-faces as shown at 34, the adhesive 26 atthe back may be omitted.

FIG. 3 is a modified form of FIG. 2 in which a sheet 24 secured at 26has extending portions 32 too narrow to seal against the flanges, butsutficiently wide when flexed to lie against a suitably wide verticalweb such as 20 Sheet material 24 must be sufliciently stiff to resistthe air pressure and bridge the gap as shown.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 represent space-closing sealing means for panels T andP carried by the grid, rather than by the panels as shown in FIGS. 1 to3, it being immaterial to the broadest aspects of the invention whetherthe grid or the panel or neither, has ventilating openings.

FIG. 4 represents a runner which ventilates, such as those shown inEricson No. 3,069,991, or other known forms. It has a vertical web 40 oftwo spaced walls 40' and 40". Wall 40" has openings 42 at the top foradmitting air, and a valve member 44 is movable against openings 42between the walls to control the admission of air. The walls 40' and 40"extend as an integral structure to form horizontal flanges 46 and 48.The web wall 40' and the flange 46 are comparable to the web 20 andflange 12' of FIG. 2.

As one embodiment, FIG. 4 shows a non-ventilating panel T with squareedge-face 50 and ceiling face 52 forming a corner 54 resting in a fillet56 of yielding sealing material, such as a soft rubber, closed-cell foamwith or without a skin, a skin-covered open-cell foam, or skinlessopen-cell foam which yields to the weight of the panel sufficiently toprovide a dam against the flow of air through it placed in the cornerformed by web wall 40" and flange 46. Preferably, the fillet is securedto one or both of the corner walls of the runner 40, either by addedadhesive or by being foamed in situ, as may be done with polyurethaneand vinyl foams.

It is noted that in FIG. 4 there is a space 58 between the edgevof theflange 46 and the face 52 of panel T. To avoid forming such a space, thesealing gasket, strip may be placed at the edge of the horizontal flangeas shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 5 shows a ventilating panel P and the runner 12 of FIG. 1 with asealing gasket 60 secured to flange 12 at the edge thereof. FIG. 6 is amodified form of FIG. 5 in which the sealing gasket 60 covers the flange12'. In these forms the panel merely rests on the gasket so that it iseasily lifted out of its recess.

Certain panels have a rough face or fissures, such that there is chancethat ceiling faces may not tightly seal on gaskets such as shown inFIGS. 4, 5 and 6. For such panels, and for all panels, a preferred sealis shown in FIG. 7.

In FIG. 7 a grid member 62 has its vertical web 64, on its panel-facingside. provided with a strip of elastomer foam 66 secured to the web.This may be a strip of opencell foam with an exterior skin or a strip ofclosed-cell foam with or without skin. It also may be a strip ofopencell skinless foam which can yield to pressure to close passagethrough it, but its thickness must be properly adjusted to the width ofspace in which it is compressed. Such a preformed strip of polyurethaneor vinyl or other foamed material may be adhesively secured to the web64. The strip 66 may be providedby forming the foam in situ, as bydepositing on the web a mixture of the ingredients of a self-foamingcomposition, such as those which produce polyurethane and vinyl foams.When both sides of the web are so used to foam in situ, the web may, ifdesired, have a series of holes 68 through it to produce foam filler asintegral connections between gasket strips 66 and 66'. These strips arelocated close to the horizontal flanges 7t and 70, in position to facethe square edgeface of a panel.

It is preferred that the strips 66 be convex in crosssection as shown soas not to provide a yielding obstruction to entry of the panel. Thedimensions of the assembly are such that when the panel is in place itflattens the convex face to assure a tight seal, as shown by the contactarea 68 on strip 66'. When the strips 66 are foamed in situ byconventional procedures the preferred skinsurface is normally provided,but it is to be understoodthat a skin face is not essential to a perfectseal, given the proper foam.

The various space-closing seals perform an acoustical function. Wherethere are two or more partitioned rooms each having a paneled ceilingeach providing an underside boundary of a common open space, sound maypass through unobstructed passageways between the panels and thesupporting grid. This sound entering the open space from one room canleave the space and enter the adjacent room through similar unobstructedpassageways around its panels. This can be measured as set forth in thereport of Geiger and Hamme Laboratories, Ann Harbor, Mich., No. AMA-l-Ito Acoustical Materials Association, published April 1958.

When the gaskets and other space-closing sealing means are used asabove-described the said over-passage of sound from room to room isconsiderably reduced, thus performing a function independent of itsfunction in a ventilating ceiling.

FIG. 8 illustrates a conventional structure presenting the conditionsdescribed above in which such transmission of sound is minimized bypractice of the present invention. Numeral 74 represents a floor andnumerals 75 and 76 represent two side Walls reaching from the floor toan upper permanent ceiling 77 from which wires 78 suspend elements 79 ofa grid which grid supports panels 80, thus creating a plenum chamber 81from wall 75 to wall 76, between panels and ceiling 77. A verticalpartition 82 extends from the floor 74 at least to the panels 80 and mayas shown extend a short distance into the plenum chamber 81 thusdefining two rooms 83 and 84. The joints indicated only for convenienceby arrows 85 between the panels and the grid are closed by sealing meansin one or more forms as shown in FIGS. 2 through 7. A showing of sealingmeans in FIG. 8 is omitted for convenience of illustration. 7

In FIG. 8 the permanent ceiling 77 frequently is concrete serving alsoas a floor for the story above, or' as a roof.

From the foregoing it is to be understood that the invention in itsbroadest aspect relates to sealing means at the edges of grid supportedpanels, and that while such means has an acoustic function it has anadditional function in a ventilating ceiling, all as comprehended by theappended claims.

In my cofiled application Serial No. 337,210, the panel shown in FIGS.1, 2 and 3 is described and claimed.

I claim:

1. In a suspension grid for assembling ceiling panels, a grid memberhaving a vertical web and oppositely directed coplanar horizontalflanges extending therefrom for vertically supporting said panels, saidvertical web having a series of holes therethrough positioned and alinedto face the edge-face of a panel when the panel is supported by ahorizontal flange, said web having strips of resilient sealing means onboth sides of said web and over said holes, said strips having integralconnections through said holes.

2. .In a ventilating ceiling below a pressurized plenum chamber whichceiling has ventilating air passages therethrough and has a plurality ofassembled rectangular ceiling panels having peripheral edge-faces, andwhich has a suspension grid therefor providing underlying support forthe four sides of said panels and comprising grid form-. ing membershaving horizontal flanges for said support d Ve tical webs above saidflanges slightly spaced from.

said edge-faces of the panels, the improvement in which said verticalwebs have a series of holes therethrough opposite the edge-faces of saidpanels, and in which said Webs have strips of resilient sealing foamformed in situ on both sides of a said Web and an integral foam con- 5nection through a said hole, said strips being in sealing contact Withsaid edge-faces.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS m 8/1932 Dean 52-484 X 2/1957Ericson 52-303 X 6/1958 Sabine 52-484 X 7/1961 Ericson 52-484 X 12/1961Marshall 52-262 X 15 5/ 1962 Davidson 98-40 4/1963 Jordan 52-484 11/1963Wulf et a1. 52-303 X 11/1963 Rees et a1. 52-484 X 11/ 1964 Campbell eta1 52-397 X 12/1964 Ericson 98-40 FOREIGN PATENTS 12/1961 France.

1/1963 France. 4/1963 France.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner. M. O. WARNECKE, Assistant Examiner.

2. IN A VENTILATING CEILING BELOW A PRESSURIZED PLENUM CHAMBER WHICHCEILING HAS VENTILATING AIR PASSAGES THERETHROUGH AND HAS A PLURALITY OFASSEMBLED RECTANGULAR CEILING PANELS HAVING PERIPHERAL EDGE-FACES, ANDWHICH HAS A SUSPENSION GRID THEREFOR PROVIDING UNDERLYING SUPPORT FORTHE FOUR SIDES OF SAID PANELS AND COMPRISING GRID FORMING MEMBERS HAVINGHORIZONTAL FLANGES FOR SAID SUPPORT AND VERTICAL WEBS ABOVE SAID FLANGESSLIGHTLY SPACED FROM SAID EDGE-FACES OF THE PANELS, THE IMPROVEMENT INWHICH SAID VERTICAL WEBS HAVE A SERIES OF HOLES THERETHROUGH OPPOSITETHE EDGE-FACES OF SAID PANELS, AND IN WHICH SAID WEBS HAVE STRIPS OFRESILIENT SEALING FOAM FORMED IN SITU ON BOTH SIDES OF A SAID WEB AND ANINTEGRAL FOAM CONNECTION THROUGH A SAID HOLE, SAID RIPS BEING IN SEALINGCONTACT WITH SAID EDGE-FACES.